Reading time: about 1.6 minutes
Let me begin by giving you three examples of the Rule of Three:
See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. (Three wise monkeys)
Snap. Crackle. Pop. (Kellogg's Rice Krispies)
I came. I saw. I conquered. (Julius Caesar)
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Read them aloud. Feel how smoothly they slide from your lips into your memory.
Why are three ideas easier to remember? Because threes are balanced. Like a table with three legs. Only two legs, and the table falls over. Four legs, and it is likely to wobble. (Unless you put a wad of paper napkins under one leg.)
The same applies when giving a talk or making a presentation. Use less than three ideas and your message will fall flat. Use more than three and it will wobble.
And if you are issuing instructions? Well, "Do it" has little oomph, which is why it would never make it as a shoe tagline. And "I would really like you to do it, because then it will be done and we won't have to worry about it again" will tire anyone before the task has even begun. You just can't beat "Do it now!"
The trick with any simple rule is to ensure that the rule never rules you.
Let's use the "Do it now!" example to explain what I mean. Does it obey the Rule of Three? Yes. But, depending on your style of delivery and the size of your ego, you might come across as a Fool of Three: Me-Myself-I.
To an audience, a colleague, a subordinate, and a team member, Me-Myself-I would be three too many.
(In her hit single Me, Myself, I, Joan Armatrading explains how much she prefers her own company. The way she uses the Rule of Three shows she is not a Fool of Three. But then, she is a rock star whereas you are a manager. You are paid to prefer the company of teams.)
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Your Friday Trigger Question:
Did you let the Rule of Three rule you?
Welcome to my side of the nonsense Me-Myself-I divide.
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